I picked up a Vodafone SIM last spring in Milan. I got 5 GB + 2GB data, and didn't use nearly that much. When I got back to JFK, a helpful woman at the Apple store swapped it back for me, and I still have the Vodafone SIM. We're headed to Rome for the week between Christmas and New Years. Can I just pop the old SIM back into the phone, or do I need the Vodafone folks to activate it? Or will I just have to get a new SIM altogether? Thanks.
Posted by
Virginia, USA
792 posts
depends on how long the plan is you bought. They are not infinite
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32219 posts
fw,
It depends on the terms of the SIM you bought. In some cases, these expire if not used for period of time. I suppose you could try it and if it doesn't work, simply buy another one.
Posted by
Boston
1709 posts
My TIM SIM was valid for 15 months if not renewed. I was able to set up an internet account for it and renew it from the US.
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Thanks. Either way, it seems to be a much cheaper approach than the Verizon plan.
Posted by
California
492 posts
We have been using the same simcards for at least five years, a TIM and a Vodafone. We go to Venice every year at this time.
You can pop the old SIM back into the phone now and see if you get a connection, see if you have any credit left. If you don't, it doesn't hurt to take the simcard back to a Vodafone shop and ask if it still good.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
15235 posts
If you signed up with Vodafone you can check your credit online using your email address you signed up with. Or if you dial 404 or 414 (also from the US) you'll receive a text with the amount of credit left.
If you haven't signed up yet, you can do so still in the Vodafone.it website.
When you add the telephone number they will send you a text with a confirmation code, which you need to enter in the website to add that number to your list of numbers registered. Therefore you need to install your SIM in your smart phone and turn it on. To avoid the data roaming to totally suck up your credit, before you install it, disable all cellular service from your cell phone (for iphone: Settings, Cellular Data off). That way the smartphone becomes a dumb phone, but you will still be able to receive texts without using any data.
Vodafone credit also goes negative (for example if you signed up for passport international roaming to deduct 3 euro a day automatically and you didn't cancel), therefore if you happen to have a negative credit it makes no sense to use the same SIM because you'd have to fork out more money than with a new one.